The inventive composition and the process are suitable, for example, for producing conductor tracks on printed circuit boards, RFID antennas, transponder antennas or other antenna structures, chip card modules, flat cables, seat heaters, film conductors, conductor tracks on solar cells or for LCD or plasma visual display units, 3D molded interconnect devices, integrated circuits, resistive, capacitative or inductive elements, diodes, transistors, sensors, actuators, optical components, receiver/transmitter devices, decorative or functional surfaces on products which are used for shielding of electromagnetic radiation, for conduction of heat or as packaging, thin metal foils or single- or double-sidedly laminated polymer supports.
In known processes for producing structural or full-area metallic surfaces on a substrate, it is known, for example, first to transfer electrically conductive particles present in a matrix material to the substrate. The transfer can be effected by any printing process. U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,151 discloses, for example, transferring the electrically conductive particles present in the matrix material by using a laser printing process. The laser volatilizes the matrix material, such that the electrically conductive particles are transferred to the substrate. The electrically conductive particles and the matrix material at first form a solid coating on the support.
In addition to the use of laser printing processes, however, the use of screen printing processes in order to produce correspondingly structured surfaces is also common. However, a disadvantage of the known processes is that the particles present in the matrix material form a comparatively dense surface, and the metallic layer which is deposited thereon adheres only at the surface. This can lead to flaking of the metallic layer, especially in the event of temperature variations. Especially when carbon particles are used as the particles which are to be coated electrolessly and/or electrolytically, there is not sufficient adhesion with the processes and compositions known from the prior art for the printed layer.